Misconceptions
by DesertAngel21
Summary: Merlin's clumsiness puts the two boys in a precarious position. Parody on Slash. This is my first fanfiction submission ever. One-shot unless I can get some good ideas to continue.


Merlin rushed to the Prince's chamber, His royal breakfast in one hand and the prince's freshly washed and prepared clothing in the other. He struggled to juggle both as he opened the door, only just managing to catch a plate of toast before it slid off the edge of the tray. As usual, he was late.

"There you are, Merlin. I wonder, is there anything in this kingdom that will motivate you to be to my chambers on time in the morning?" Arthur was in an unusually good mood, for once. Merlin noted that Arthur hadn't even gotten himself out of bed and dressed yet.

'Maybe I'm not as late as I thought' he thought to himself. Usually, when Merlin was late getting to Arthur's chamber,Arthur had dressed himself and was pacing the room fuming impatiently for Merlin to arrive,  
with an impossible list of chores to be done as punishment.

Merlin quickly got to work cleaning up the room while the prince ate his breakfast. While he ate the prince glanced over at the clothes Merlin had brought in and suddenly his good humor left him as he spied the ceremonial garb and remembered that today he was supposed to help his father welcome yet another envoy from Messenia. He sighed and returned to his breakfast.

He finished his food and stood up, sighing again only more loudly this time. 'alright, then, let's get this over with, help me get this stuff on.'He said to Merlin who heard him and ambled over. Merlin helped him slip his nightshirt off and was reaching for the fresh tunic when suddenly Merlin let out a yelp and started tearing at his own shirt and slapping at his back, dancing around the floor and tripping over his own feet.

'Merlin, what is your problem?' Arthur asked with amused concern (he couldn't help it, Merlin's over-dramatics were hysterical to watch).

'Oi! I think a spider bit me!' Merlin gasped as he tried once more unsuccessfully to pull his shirt over his head. Arthur suppressed a sigh and strode over to Merlin. Once again he would have to save his 'damsel in distress' manservant.

'Here, let me' he said as he reached for Merlin's shirt and tugged it the rest of the way off. As he handed the shirt to Merlin, a black spider fell to the floor and skittered a few feet away, then turned to face its tormentors with forelegs raised.  
Predictably, Merlin screamed like a girl and jumped behind Arthur as the spider scurried for cover under the bed.

Arthur followed behind the spider, stomping and trying to catch the swift creature,  
so intently that he just barely glimpsed the bed in front of him and put his hands out to steady himself against it.  
Merlin was following so closely behind he wasn't paying attention when Arthur stopped suddenly and he fell against Arthur hard enough to knock him the rest of the way onto the bed; Merlin sprawled on top of him.

It was at this moment that a maid servant happened to walk in with an armful of towels (as Merlin had, as usual, left the door wide open). Her eyes widened as they took in the site of the two young men sprawled topless in such a precarious position. She stared, stammered out an apology for disturbing them, and ran off before either of them had a chance to register she had come in.

'Well, that was weird.' Said Arthur, turning to look at a (he suddenly realized)  
shirtless Merlin. He then glanced down at his own naked chest, and blushed furiously as it suddenly occurred to him of what the maid servant had probably thought. He flushed crimson in in embarrassment and horror, quickly twisting and shoving Merlin off and away from him.

'Hey!', Merlin started to protest, then looked at Arthur's face and back to the door, and he began to giggle. 'Oops!' he laughed.

'Don't just sit there and laugh, Merlin, go out and find that servant and explain to her that what she saw,... just,... WASN'T!' Arthur spluttered. Merlin was still laughing so hard he was almost rolling on the floor. Arthur growled in frustration.

'Merlin, you idiot, I know YOU don't have a reputation to protect, but if she starts telling others what happened, you know how the rumors will fly that the prince REALLY likes his manservant.

This did send Merlin to the floor as gales of laughter hit him. Laughing in between breaths he gasped out 'I think it's a bit late for that, sire, those rumors have been going around for months now, think this will only add fuel to the fire!'

Arthur rolled his eyes and sighed. Merlin was probably right. He had seen a few of the looks the servants had given them. Servants were one thing, though, as they loved gossip more than anything (he sometimes wondered if the biggest perk to being a palace servant WASN't the higher pay, but the access to fodder for their rumor-mongering); but if word of this particular incident got out to his knights, he shuddered at the endless ribbing he would receive and the whispers he would HAVE to pay attention to.

He growled again and stepped toward the recovering Merlin. 'Merlin...'

'I'm going, I'm going. Merlin gave one final chuckle as he raced, and stumbled, out of the room.

Heaven knows how he was going to explain this to his knights. Then an even more horrible thought occurred to him.

How was he going to explain this to his FATHER?

Arthur sighed again. He really wished he had not gotten out of bed this morning.


End file.
